MORE THAN I ASKED FOR

Chapter 1

It is jammed as airports tend to be on Fridays. A baby is wailing nearby. The wheels on valises are rolling on epoxy-smoothened floors. Two women are arguing loudly in a foreign language. And Tay Tawan Vihokratana wants to be anywhere but here right now. He turns to the arguing women right in time to see one of them playfully slap the other on the arm. It appears they were not arguing after all. Their blustering ends when they hug and part ways.

Tay sighs. That's one hurdle out of the way. The main obstacle, the reason why he is here, is taking a little too long to make an appearance. He takes a peek at his watch again. It is officially thirty minutes past arrival time. The plane landed, he knows that for sure. It was plastered all over the LED displays, EK384 from DXB to BKK status LANDED 12:30. Many have filtered out through arrivals but none of them is Tay's guest. He shakes out his sore arms and holds up the card that reads 'Thitipoom Techaapaikhun' again. It looks like it's going to be a very long morning.

**

Three days ago.

Tay Tawan rubs his sweaty palms at his sides. He is not a timorous person but anyone would develop a case of watery palms if they were summoned up to Mongkut Techaapaikhun's office. The CEO of T&J corporations is like a rare Pokémon. Most people haven't seen the man before. Tay has seen him only twice and both times he was surrounded by some senior employees, tripping over their own feet trying to catch up with his strides.

As Tay rides the elevator to the top floor to Khun Mongkut's office, his nerves start to disappear and some scattered pieces of hope begin to lodge in the spaces they vacated. Thoughts he hasn't allowed himself to entertain trickle into his mind. What if this is about the promotion applied for? What if his dedication to this company has finally been recognized? When he started at T&J Corporations, he was only 23. It has been seven years of hard work and assiduousness. He did as he was told (sometimes) and caused little to no issues. Every team project he has led resulted in tremendous results and motor sales have been through the roof since his brief time with the advertising team. Nobody is more deserving of this promotion than him.

He pushes out a breath as the elevator pings to a stop. It is quiet on the 50th floor. It appears that there is a place even Bangkok's boisterousness cannot reach. He walks across the shiny floors to the front desk, praying his shoes are not making too much noise.  "Good morning," he greets the lady typing quickly behind her computer. The name plaque on her desk reads 'Alice Choi'.

"Tawan?" Alice lifts her head to ask.

"Yes."

She nods to a door on her right and resumes typing even before she says, "He's expecting you."

He mumbles a thanks and walks to the door. It takes a bit of effort to push the heavy door open. The office is well-lit. Its white walls are interspersed with large abstract paintings, the kind that artists swear have deeper meanings than they actually appear because simply saying they were made while high on acid would be unseemly. There is a large fish tank with one dragonfish. Must be awfully lonely for this tiny creature. It is still until its beady eyes fall on Tay. Then it starts swimming around in a one-man display.

Behind the solid desk sits the hulking figure of Mongkut Techaapaikhun. Though his back is relaxed in his seat, he looks ever so poised. He has an aging face that would look friendly on others but somewhat makes him even more intimidating. It must be the accumulation of wealth and power throughout the years.

"Sit." Khun Mongkut says. Tay hesitates for a moment. The couch or the chair opposite the boss? Khun Mongkut watches him flounder for a second or two before he nods to the seat across his desk.

"Thanks."

Khun Mongkut picks up the open file before him. He looks at it. Then back to Tay's face. "Tawan Vihokratana, 30 years old, 64 times employee of the month."